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Sketch of Stravinsky at work on Petrushka, by the ballet’s co-scenarist—and set- and costume-designer—artist Alexander Benois, an important long-time participant in Dyagilev's Мир Исткусства (World of Art) circle.
08 April 2009
Fairy Stories, Castanets & Puppetry
Dutoit comes to Symphony, Tom Thumb gets lost, things fall out badly for puppet on Admiralty Square . . .
Sketch of Stravinsky at work on Petrushka, by the ballet’s co-scenarist—and set- and costume-designer—artist Alexander Benois, an important long-time participant in Dyagilev's Мир Исткусства (World of Art) circle.
Sketch of Stravinsky at work on Petrushka, by the ballet’s co-scenarist—and set- and costume-designer—artist Alexander Benois, an important long-time participant in Dyagilev's Мир Исткусства (World of Art) circle.
07 April 2009
New on the Desk
I love the babes, don’t get me wrong;
Hey! — That’s why I wrote this song!
— Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits), “Heavy Fuel”
Hey! — That’s why I wrote this song!
— Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits), “Heavy Fuel”
06 April 2009
op 95 adjustments
A rather busy degree of bass flute activity to ‘drive’ the overall [G] section was always in mind. While working on the harp ‘thrumming’ for [G], though, I ‘thought’ a tempo only related to the harp. So, now that I’ve composed the flute ‘monologue’, the tempo is too fast. To find and mark the ‘correct’ (i.e., more musical) tempo was an easy adjustment to make.
Another adjustment required by everything now being ‘in place’ was, the ending needed a bit more ‘relaxing/expansion’, I thought; in a way, it’s an odd thought, making one’s way to the end of (what I was originally estimating at) an 18-minute piece, and feeling that it ends too abruptly — although, musically, it is exactly what one wants, in a sense — that the listener should want more. Here, the music really did require a bit more. Before falling asleep Saturday night, I composed a new ending.
However, when I went back to the MS., the new ending was much, much simpler. My head-on-pillow solution in this case was over-composed, and I still know how to use an eraser.
And it’s nearly there. Just need to add one measure more.
Then, of course, there’s finishing work . . . .
Another adjustment required by everything now being ‘in place’ was, the ending needed a bit more ‘relaxing/expansion’, I thought; in a way, it’s an odd thought, making one’s way to the end of (what I was originally estimating at) an 18-minute piece, and feeling that it ends too abruptly — although, musically, it is exactly what one wants, in a sense — that the listener should want more. Here, the music really did require a bit more. Before falling asleep Saturday night, I composed a new ending.
However, when I went back to the MS., the new ending was much, much simpler. My head-on-pillow solution in this case was over-composed, and I still know how to use an eraser.
And it’s nearly there. Just need to add one measure more.
Then, of course, there’s finishing work . . . .
05 April 2009
What’s It Like?
Success is like reaching an important birthday and finding you’re exactly the same.
— Audrey Hepburn
— Audrey Hepburn
04 April 2009
Divers items, 4 Apr 09
Did You Know? Dept :: Search on youtube for the phrase harp technique, and the top three-quarters of the page are all about the . . . harmonica. Was not much use as I was working on stars & guitars. Just saying.
(Not sure I would have known that harp can refer to the harmonica, if I had not seen Capt Beefheart so credited on a Zappa album.)
Unexpected Performances Dept, Sacred Choral Division :: Chanced upon the Cathedral administrator on Tremont Street this past Thursday afternoon, and learned that the St Paul’s choir will be singing the Nunc dimittis from my Evening Service in D, Opus 87, at a noon-time service for blessing the oils this Tuesday. There’s one measure which the tenors traditionally don’t get quite right at St Paul’s — it’s different to a parallel measure from earlier in the Canticle, but somehow winds up sounding the same. I will watch that measure’s future career with considerable interest.
Notation Software Labor Dept :: Officially caught the Sibelius file of stars & guitars up with the MS. this afternoon. Now think I may need to add a dozen measures to the end. I’ll sleep on it.
For the sake of reducing time & labor for my publisher (worthy fellow who needs a hand as much as any of us), I need to try to import the Finale file of Bless the Lord, O My Soul into Sibelius. It’s probably going to be an easy and smooth process. When I first bought Sibelius, I made an attempt at such a conversion, with the Finale file of the Overture to White Nights. Practically unmitigated disaster — probably a result of all the customized systems in the Finale file. (Perhaps if I had “un-somethinged” — Finale is really becoming a thing of the past, when I need to rack my brain for this specialized term — “un-optimized” all the systems, first . . . worth an experiment, I think.) This is one reason (only one) why I’ve decided to take the building of a Sibelius file of the Overture from scratch, as an exercise in learning to use the software for large ensemble.
(Not sure I would have known that harp can refer to the harmonica, if I had not seen Capt Beefheart so credited on a Zappa album.)
Unexpected Performances Dept, Sacred Choral Division :: Chanced upon the Cathedral administrator on Tremont Street this past Thursday afternoon, and learned that the St Paul’s choir will be singing the Nunc dimittis from my Evening Service in D, Opus 87, at a noon-time service for blessing the oils this Tuesday. There’s one measure which the tenors traditionally don’t get quite right at St Paul’s — it’s different to a parallel measure from earlier in the Canticle, but somehow winds up sounding the same. I will watch that measure’s future career with considerable interest.
Notation Software Labor Dept :: Officially caught the Sibelius file of stars & guitars up with the MS. this afternoon. Now think I may need to add a dozen measures to the end. I’ll sleep on it.
For the sake of reducing time & labor for my publisher (worthy fellow who needs a hand as much as any of us), I need to try to import the Finale file of Bless the Lord, O My Soul into Sibelius. It’s probably going to be an easy and smooth process. When I first bought Sibelius, I made an attempt at such a conversion, with the Finale file of the Overture to White Nights. Practically unmitigated disaster — probably a result of all the customized systems in the Finale file. (Perhaps if I had “un-somethinged” — Finale is really becoming a thing of the past, when I need to rack my brain for this specialized term — “un-optimized” all the systems, first . . . worth an experiment, I think.) This is one reason (only one) why I’ve decided to take the building of a Sibelius file of the Overture from scratch, as an exercise in learning to use the software for large ensemble.
03 April 2009
Alborada MS. pt II
Yesterday, I got to the final double-bar of the sketch for stars & guitars. Needs some tidying up and a fair amount of additonal detail, to be sure.
Gentle Reader, do not marvel that so much of the scribble is a bit unkempt . . . the bus was moving much of the time. Nor could I find it in me to complain of that motion . . . .
Gentle Reader, do not marvel that so much of the scribble is a bit unkempt . . . the bus was moving much of the time. Nor could I find it in me to complain of that motion . . . .
[ click on images for full-size page ]
02 April 2009
Alborada MS. pt I
No, I hadn’t planned it that way, which pleases me all the more . . . but I composed quite the greater part of the flute portion of the alborada yesterday.
(So it’s my own private alborada del gracioso.)
[ click on images for full-size page ]
(So it’s my own private alborada del gracioso.)
[ click on images for full-size page ]
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